Shelf life of liquid test kits

[SkarloeysMom]

I remember reading something about this and maybe it was Dave the new guy who has been keeping aquariums for many years who mention this. What is the shelf life of a liquid test kit for water testing? I have a master test kit that I bought last year. I just recently ran low on Nitrate test drops so I went and bought a kit with only the Nitrate test. I still had a bit of the old stuff left so I kept it. Every time I tested with the new drops I got ZERO nitrates which I know is wrong because when I use the old drops I got a reading of like 5ppm.

There is a lot number on the bottle so I thought maybe I could email API and find out how old the drops are. I wish they'd just put a damn expiration date on the bottle. I mean they MUST expire sometime, right??:confused:

[RobbieG]

Usually the reagents will last about a year

[Bill M.]

but the problem with this robbie is that we dont know when the kit was made... i buy all my testing supplies form petsmart so i have no idea!

[SkarloeysMom]

Well, I just emailed the company with questions about this test kit and gave them the lot number. Hopefully they will be able to tell me something useful. If so, I'll pass it on.

Oh, I also asked them why they didn't put expiration dates on their test kits. Seems like a logical thing to do to me.

[Kuli_Loach]

No telling how old mine is, it had dust on it when I got it but it works I think.

[gm72]

I had a master kit go bad after maybe about 2 years or so. There certainly must be a certain span of time during which the reagents stop being quite as accurate. I would guess 12-18 months or so.

[RobbieG]

but the problem with this robbie is that we dont know when the kit was made... i buy all my testing supplies form petsmart so i have no idea!

The expiration date for mine is on the bottom of the box (Red Sea)

Aquarium Pharmacueticals is supposedly on the reagent bottle I would also try the bottom of the box if it was a master test kit (it may just be pressed in not inked on)

Sailefert - Dev had to email the company with the lot number

[salman]

I got my API test kit online, and there was an expiration date on it, its on the bottom of the box. Mine expires in 10 months, but im a testaholic, so in a month ill have to buy a new one.

[Dave66]

To my experience, regeants start to decay after six months. Laboratory-grade regeants last two or three times that long. If refrigerated at 60 degrees they both last longer.
I switched to electronic monitors years ago as I was tired of replacing regeants.

Dave

[Spyder]

I have electric monitors for pH & hardness, but that's the only to available (that I know of) for freshwater. I bought the new Nitrate monitor but found out it was for saltwater only and had to return it.

This is a good post, none of my test bottles have expiration dates and I wondered the same as all of you.

[salman]

It's best to buy test kits online from a popular website, for example big als. They sell their stuff really fast and they have to get new ones once everything is sold. Unlike your LFS, they could be there for a year or two.

[SkarloeysMom]

I got an idea this morning. I'm going to run all the tests my kit will do on my water with my test kit and then take a sample to PetSmart and compare the results. That should tell me if my other kit tests are still viable. I hope I haven't been getting back results since I started my 10g. However, that could explain some of the problems I had with that tank.

I looked all over my API test kit box and bottles and I found no expirations, just lot numbers. I'll let you all know what API says with they finally email me back.

[SkarloeysMom]

I just got back from PetSmart. I'm not sure if having them test my water was worth the trouble. They just used the Jungle 6 in 1 dip strip test so I don't really know how accurate that is. Here's what he said my readings are:

ammonia - .25 ppm (he used a different test strip for that)
nitrites - 0
nitrates - between 5 and 10 ppm
pH - 7.0
Kh - very soft (between 40 and 80 ppm)
Gh - moderate (he didn't tell me the number)

I got the same numbers except for ammonia. My test showed 0 ammonia. Now I don't know what to think. Who's reading is right?

I have never tested for Kh and Gh so I got those numbers I guess but what do they mean??

[gm72]

Those strips aren't very accurate. I'd say your ammonia reading was right and his was not.

[SkarloeysMom]

So I finally got an answer back from API about my Nitrate test kit and here's what they said:

Both of those were made in 2006, so they should be fine. The last four digits of an API lot number show the month and year of manufacture.

If you send in the kit in question, we can examine it to determine if it is, in fact, inaccurate. We will send you a free kit in return regardless of what we find, in order to make up for the inconvenience.


Nice to know how to figure out the manufacture date from the lot number! I'll be sending the two questionable bottles back and getting a new kit because I know that bottle #2 is NOT working.

[gm72]

AWESOME update, thanks for posting that!

[SkarloeysMom]

Thanks and no problem...I'm really glad they finally responded and had some useful information that I could pass on. It took almost a month for them to respond though!! I guess they don't have someone dedicated to email customer service. I probably should have called but I hate spending time on the phone for stuff like that.